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Aauui
The Aauui (singular: Aauua) is a sapient insectoid species hailing from the planet Aauu, where they were once the dominant species until a devastating series of natural disasters nearly caused their extinction. The majority of the survivors took to the stars, where they are now a rare sight. Aauui are notable for their fast growth and potency for learning and mastering new skills and tools. They used to be deeply religious and speak a language that consists entirely of vowels. Biology Aauui are distinctly on the "alien" side of the humanoid-to-alien spectrum. Their bodies are roughly 4 meters (13 feet) long, centipede-like and outfitted with eight limbs: the frontmost two end in claw-like digits and can be used as either arms or legs. While insectoid in appearance, the Aauui body does not have an exoskeleton, but leathery skin covered in burgundy armour plates. These rough plates, meant more to protect them from the elements rather than predators, grow with them and don't require moulting. Very thick, spiky hairs covers the armour, making the Aauui vaguely resemble gigantic Terran flies. Aauui are cycloptic, with a single bulging sight organ at the end of their tubular bodies, a complex compound eye with thousands of tiny visual receptors. Their mouths, located just under the eye, are perpetually opened dark holes with no teeth, lips nor tongue, the omnivorous beings shredding their food with blade-like mechanisms in their lower throats. In fact, as a result of not being able to close their mouths to avoid foreign objects, Aauui seemingly learned to digest almost anything on their planet, and they have very good immune systems. This only applies on their own planet, though: conversely Aauui are especially vulnerable to other planets' atmospheres and germs. The species reproduces asexually via eggs. They reach complete mental adulthood in only 5 Earth years and have relatively short life spans, the oldest of them living only around 40 years. Culture and behaviour The Aauui are notoriously quick learners, capable of remembering new information or mastering previously unknown skills and tools with very little practice. However, they aren't nearly as good at creating new information or tools; Aauui are natural followers, not leaders, and have a hard time taking charge of a situation or thinking of new ideas. Throughout most of their history, the two Aauui tribes were led by their respective "oracles". These were very rare individuals hatched with long antennae protruding from their heads, who claimed to be able to hear messages from the gods. Though that claim can't be proven, they were certainly more inventive than their brethren, and were responsible for much of the Aauui civilization. The last oracles went insane during the Wrath and none have been hatched since. Nowadays Aauui can be found following anyone who is charismatic, smart or powerful enough to sway them, a role usually filled by offworlders. Going hand-in-hand with their follower ideal, Aauui also have a weak "swarm" mentality. Though they are very much individuals, they enjoy being a small gear in a large mechanism, as it were, and get panicky or depressed when left out. As their mouths render them incapable of pronouncing consonants, Aauui can't speak most alien languages. Their own language, Aauuan, consists entirely of screeching vowels of changing pitch and tone, and can be disconcerting for other species to hear. Modern Aauui encountered in space have their mouths plugged up with translation devices, allowing them to communicate with others while at the same time preventing them from ingesting hazardous material through their gaping maws. History Ancient history Ancient Aauui history is known only through legend. According to themselves, Ooæ and Eeæ purposefully jumpstarted their evolution from an initially dead world, though many offworlder scientists scoff at this. They learned about their gods what they define as year 0, the year the gods sent "angels" to aid them, though again this hasn't been proven as fact. After the Aauu religions were set in place, squabbles soon broke out over which of the two gods was more important, and once the Aauui had established some proper nations, it didn't take long for it to escalate into all-out religious wars. The largest continental nation was for Ooæ's believers, while the people of Eeæ were spread across the islands of the ocean and in an oft-besieged smaller nation on the mainland. The Wrath In Aauu year 3028, the Aauui equivalent of the Middle Ages, disaster struck. Apparently, Ooæ and Eeæ themselves had decided to settle the matter of who was the better god personally, and actively attacked eachothers' followers. Ooæ's people found themselves struck by repeated tidal waves and neverending rainstorms, while the believers in Eeæ were plagued by forest fires and droughts that destroyed their crops. The terrible disasters continued without pause for over ten years, killing all but a few thousand Aauui before the gods calmed down. The survivors named this event "the Wrath" and alternately cursed or feared their gods, refusing to worship them again. Offworlders One year later, strange aliens suddenly arrived on Aauu. Since the world was habitable but now nigh-empty, these highly advanced offworlders were intent on colonizing it for their own means. At first, the natives weren't sure if these creatures were new gods or more bringers of disasters, but after approaching them, learned the truth and were taught of outer space and modern technology. The quick-to-learn Aauui accepted this new truth, but most of them still feared Ooæ and Eeæ, and chose to leave their homeworld. Stowing aboard the various colony ships, they began to spread into the galaxy, and can now be found on a variety of worlds, though usually in few numbers. Only a few hundred Aauui remained on their homeworld after the colonization, and are vastly outnumbered by the new inhabitants. Some of them still believe in the gods, some work with the colonists to teach them about the planet, and others are opposed to the strangers stealing their planet and actively try to get rid of them by either diplomatic of violent means. Category:Species Category:Aauu